Old Man Winter will be ringing in the New Year with Stark County residents.

Brian Mitchell, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Cleveland, expects a break in the snow from this afternoon through early evening. But just after midnight, the snow is expected to return and will continue until Thursday night. He estimated that residents would see an inch or two of snow fall by Wednesday morning and another inch or two of accumulation from Wednesday into Thursday.

Mitchell also said that temperatures will remain in the low 20s, and then drop to the teens Thursday night.

"Looks like we're going to start the year out with a good shot of winter," he said.

He also warned that a winter storm advisory issued for northern counties, including Summit and Portage counties, could be later expanded to include Stark County. The advisory calls for five to 11 inches of snow in some areas by Thursday afternoon.

On Tuesday, a half-inch overnight snowfall caused roads to be snow covered and slippery during the morning commute, but no major traffic accidents were reported by police.

Stark County Engineer Keith Bennett said county crews were out salting and plowing roads just after 4 a.m. Tuesday, and seemed to get the lanes cleared quickly.

He said plow drivers and mechanics will be on call Wednesday and Thursday, but he hopes the weather will be less severe than expected.

"It's been a long winter already," he said.

The county typically has 23 snow plow operators on the road per shift.